Page 25 of Storm In The Sky

He looked down at himself. He wasn’t a toad.

Yet.

“I’m confused,” Keylon admitted.

“You’re not the only one. It’s not easy to know that I was another person before. I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did. I should have given us a chance instead of telling you I wanted to break the bond. I tried to convince myself that everything would be all right if only I could convince Samuel to be with me, but now I know that wouldn’t have been the case. My place is with you, and while I’ll have to work hard to regain your trust, I’m ready to do it.”

Winter would never be Alvin, but he didn’t have to be. He could carve himself a spot by Keylon’s side and in his life.

But only if Keylon agreed to it.

* * * *

Keylon was freaking out. He was trying not to show it because he didn’t want Winter to freak out, too, but he wasn’t sure he could do this.

He understood everything Winter had told him. His heart had broken a bit for his dragon when Winter had explained about waking up alone and not remembering anything. Keylon would always be grateful to Samuel for finding Winter and taking care of him.

Things would’ve been very different for Winter if Samuel hadn’t been in the picture. As far as they knew, Winter was the only one of their dragons who’d found a clan and who’d lived his life surrounded by mages and other dragons. It made Keylon wonder why the clan hadn’t reached out to others to find out where Winter had come from, but that wasn’t something he should worry about right now. Besides, he’d get angry if he found out they hadn’t wanted to, and he didn’t want to offend Winter’s family. Maybe they’d tried to find Winter’s family, but without knowing anything about him, they’d failed.

Samuel’s clan was Winter’s family now, and it was useless to think about the past or what they hadn’t done. In the end, Winter had found his way to the castle and Keylon, and that was all that mattered.

“Keylon?”

Winter’s voice was soft and not at all the way Keylon remembered Alvin’s voice. He knew Winter wasn’t Alvin and could see it every time Winter moved and hear it in everything he said, but Alvin had been the last person to kiss Keylon. It had been the morning of the spell before they left their room to go fight Carlyle. They’d promised each other that everything would be all right, but nothing had been.

And now Winter was here instead of Alvin, and he was kissing Keylon.

Keylon shot to his feet. He startled Winter, who jerked back but quickly followed him when he crossed the room.

“What’s wrong?” Winter asked, looking around as if he expected to have to protect Keylon against something or someone hiding behind the stacks of books.

Keylon didn’t look at him. He pushed his shaking hands into his pockets and stared out the window, trying to find the right words. “I understand everything you told me, but I think you’re confused.”

There was a pause before Winter answered. “Confused about what?”

“Your feelings, mainly. Samuel rejected you, so now you turned to me because you know I won’t.”

“You think I kissed you because Samuel told me to fuck off?”

Keylon shrugged. “I can’t do this. I’ve already been through it once. I don’t think I’ll survive being rejected a second time. I understand you’re trying to do the right thing, but if it’s not what you want, it’ll destroy me. I can’t afford for that to happen when Carlyle is a danger more than ever.”

“I’m not confused, Keylon. I know what and who I want, and that’s you.”

Winter was saying all the right words, but Keylon couldn’t find it in himself to believe them. How could he? When they’d met, Winter had made it clear that he didn’t want Keylon. He’d requested that Keylon break their bond. He might have changed his mind, but how could Keylon believe it was because he wanted it and not because he thought it was all he could have? Samuel had rejected him. He was looking for someone who wouldn’t, and he felt that Keylon would be that person.

“I’m sorry,” Keylon insisted. He needed to get out of this room.

He rushed toward the door, ignoring the fact that Winter came after him. Winter reached for him, touching his arm, but Keylon panicked.

He didn’t think Winter would hurt him, not physically, but he could still do a lot of damage.

“Keylon, calm down,” Winter said. “I’m not going to force you into anything. I just wanted you to know where I stand and what I hope for.”

Keylon had never thought Winter would force him. He might be a different person, but he could never be that different from Alvin. Winter was a good man, a man Keylon wanted in his life,but he was terrified. His heart had been shattered when he’d lost Alvin, but over the years, he’d built hope again. Even when they’d started finding the dragons and Keylon had realized that Alvin wouldn’t be himself anymore, he’d thought he would still be his, in a way.

But then Winter had appeared, and the wounds in Keylon’s heart had been torn open again. He needed to protect himself. It was the only way for him to survive.

Keylon threw open his office door and ran out. He ignored Winter and the few other people he crossed paths with as he rushed out of the castle.

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